“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”---John 14:6,7 NIV
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”---John 18:37 NIV
A Caveat
As I introduce this post I realize this message may not be
agreeable to all who read it. This is fine by me. I am going to go ahead and pull
back a layer or two of a matter I grapple with as an ethical and moral dilemma.
The Truth Will Have You Cancelled
“Cancel culture or call-out culture is a
contemporary phrase used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is
thrust out of social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social
media, or in person…”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancel_culture
Not many years ago a former friend cancelled me from her
life. She disagreed with my view on a particular issue. This issue is one of
the many negative narratives our society perpetuates. I happen to not agree
with most of these narratives. I do so because they are hostile to our
Christian faith.
What is truth? This is a question many people over the
years have pondered and attempted to answer. To some people, truth is what they
believe about a particular matter or issue, etc. This phenomenon holds to a view
of, “my truth.” More and more people these days have decided to embrace a
subjective approach to truth. This does not make their “truth,” true.
An example of “my truth.”
In no way do I infringe on the life or self-belief of a man
who claims to be a woman. He may view this as his, “truth.” If a man wants to
act like a woman and wear women’s underwear or a dress, so be it. On the other
hand, I do not have to believe it just because he feels he is a woman. In our
contemporary era such a view is worthy of one being cancelled and regarded as
no longer worthy of being a friend, or even a family member.
As a writer, I am cautious as to where I share my work. I
am not afraid, yet I also do not want to cause unnecessary hard feelings with
other people. As a Christian I accept people as best I can, but I do not have
to accept their views, their lifestyles, or their truth.
Follow The Truth
In reality, “truth” is not a concept, or an opinion, even
one held to by most citizens of a country. Truth is Jesus Christ. People
at the time Jesus walked the earth did not grasp this. Pontius Pilate, the
governor who handed Jesus over to be crucified missed the mark as to who Jesus
is and rejected the Truth.
In this age in which everyone does that which is right in
his, or her, own eyes, those who follow the Truth must cling to Him. For the
Christian, this is not up for negotiation. Our, friends, enemies, our family,
even the world may cancel us, but this changes nothing.
You
might walk counter to the culture,
but it is worth every step.
.jpg)
Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife,
Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing,
2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing,
2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship,
2021. Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has
written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.
